Marigold 'Goldie' Seabrook · Coastal Carolina Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
Teal deal, y'all! I'm Marigold 'Goldie' Seabrook, and I'm your Coastal Carolina insider here at The Cover Window. The short version: I'm a grew up in Conway; shrimp-boat family; English major who writes like the tide. I follow this team from the stands, every week, and I love it out loud. On the podcast, my segment is called Low Tide Notes. The show card describes it like this: the Fanatic's weekly signature column and podcast segment. My rules are simple. I keep it clean and kind, I celebrate players as people, I respect every opponent, and I never invent a stat, a quote or a fact. If I can't source it, you won't hear it from me. This week the Chanticleers have an open date, so instead of a game preview you get the full tour: the school, the coach, the players, the league and what's next.
The School in 60 Seconds
Home is Brooks Stadium (SC) in Conway, SC, built in 2003 with a listed capacity of 21,000. The playing surface is James C. Benton Field, per Wikipedia. The last five seasons went 11-2, 9-4, 8-5, 6-7 and 6-7, from 2021 through 2025. The most frequent opponents from 2016 through 2025 tell you who matters around here: Georgia State (5-4 in 9 meetings), App State (5-4 in 9 meetings), Georgia Southern (4-5 in 9 meetings), Troy (3-4 in 7 meetings). That's a list of games, not an official rivalry list. The 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 118 nationally in CFBD's team rankings. And if you visit, ask somebody about the teal turf; it's the tradition I'd show you first.
The Coach and the Scheme
Ryan Beard leads the Chanticleers; CollegeFootballData dates the hire to Dec. 11, 2025. Through 7 games, Coastal Carolina scores 26.1 points a game and allows 25.9. By our math from CFBD figures, the offense runs on about 54% of its plays, gaining 147.6 rushing yards and 234.9 passing yards a game. That's a balanced menu. On third down, Coastal Carolina converts 36.5% of the time and opponents convert 44.6%. The defense has 15 sacks and 37 tackles for loss, and the turnover ledger reads 10 giveaways against 14 takeaways. Penalties cost 63.9 yards a game. The high-water mark so far was 45 points against Fordham on Sept. 12, 2026, and 5 of the 7 games were decided by eight points or fewer. Over the season, Coastal Carolina has outscored opponents by a combined 2 points. Every one of those numbers is a little homework for the open week.
Players to Know
QB Deuce Bailey (passing leader): 109/204, 1638 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT.
RB Dominic Lee-Knicely (rushing leader): 80 carries, 452 yards, 3 TD.
WR Colton Hinton (receiving leader): 13 catches, 297 yards, 4 TD.
On defense, LB Marcellius Pulliam leads with 67 tackles; DE Ibrahim Diawara has 5 sacks; CB Ja'Marion Wayne has 2 interceptions.
Injury news: we found no official availability report during an open week, so we're not listing any. Official reports return before the next game.
The Conference Picture
Coastal Carolina is 2-5 overall, 1-3 at home and 1-2 away. In Sun Belt play the Chanticleers are 1-2, which sorts them No. 10 of 14 by record. James Madison sits on top at 4-0 in league games. Right around us: Arkansas State (1-2) and Old Dominion (1-3). The top of the table: James Madison (4-0), Louisiana Tech (2-0), South Alabama (2-0). That order is a sort by record, not the official tiebreaker order. Every league game from here is a chance to move up, and the open week is when the plan for that climb gets built. An open date in late October is a chance to heal up and study the stretch run.
This Week: Open Date
No game for Coastal Carolina this week. The last time out, on Oct. 17, 2026, the Chanticleers lost to App State at home, 35-32. Next up: Saturday, Oct. 31, at Georgia State, in Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta, with a kickoff time to be announced. Georgia State comes in at 4-2. From 2016 through 2025, Coastal Carolina went 5-4 against Georgia State in 9 meetings. After that, CFBD lists vs. Old Dominion (Nov. 7), vs. Arkansas State (Nov. 14), at Louisiana (Nov. 21), at James Madison (Nov. 28). Until then: rest, film and a little extra time in the ice tub.
My Open-Week Take
Here's how I see it, friends. An open date isn't a day off; it's a deep breath. The coaches get to fix the little things, the players get their legs back, and we fans get a Saturday to call our families, clean the grill and argue happily about the depth chart. When the Chanticleers come back, I'll be right there in the stands, same seat, same voice, and I'll bring you every sourced detail. Thanks for spending part of your open week with me. Teal deal, y'all!